


Freezer Burn

by Frikkstikk



Category: One Piece
Genre: M/M, Pining, Pre-Timeskip, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-22
Updated: 2016-03-04
Packaged: 2018-05-22 17:32:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,071
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6088375
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Frikkstikk/pseuds/Frikkstikk
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A short ration stop quickly turns into the longest three days of the Sunny's voyage because SOMEONE decided to go and get himself sick. The potential loss of the chef puts a strain on the entire crew, especially those who never said what they needed to.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Sketchy Beginning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I originally wrote this a year ago for a friend but I never finished. Because I am a fuck. But I recently rekindled my love for OP so I decided to edit the hell out of this for you all to enjoy- hopefully. Oh yeah, I also ship Sanji with pretty much everyone. So... there's that.

“The island we’re heading to is a winter island, so it should be getting cold here on the ship within a few hours.” The navigator of the Strawhat pirates announced to the rest of her crew, “We should also be wary of hail as we near the island. This area is notorious for its giant hailstones.”

“Hailstones are nothing to the great Captain Usopp! I once destroyed a hailstone the size of a galleon with a single punch!” The sharpshooter struck a heroic pose to add effect to his false anecdote.

“Well that’s good, because out here in the Grand Line the hailstones _can_ reach the size of galleons,” Nami smirked as the bravery melted off of her nakama’s figure at her comment.

“Nami-san is so thoughtful and smart warning us ahead of time!” Sanji twirled off to the galley to begin preparing a hot meal for his soon-to-be freezing crew . Zoro rolled his eyes at the cook’s antics and fought the urge to trip the blond as he passed him. The swordsman had surpassed the realm of "annoyed" with Sanji’s lovey-dovey tendencies and entered the realm of "I-want-to-strangle-you." Because, for one, it was annoying; the ladies didn't care for it and the guys were irritated by it. And second, Zoro wished Sanji would stop shoving his heterosexuality in his face. Zoro already felt bad about having a crush on the moron, Sanji didn't need to constantly remind him that he had zero chance of being with him.

\---

The Strawhats were headed to the dangerously cold island because they were in need of more food supplies, due to a certain captain finding and eating the emergency rations. Unfortunately the winter island was the only one around for days. Fortunately, marines didn't like coming out to this sparsely-populated island, so they didn't have to worry about that.

Luffy was sitting on his regular spot on the figurehead, seeming to not notice the cold weather yet. He looked left and right in search of the island or something else to entertain him. Chopper was enjoying the chill in the air while he and Usopp tried to fish. Nami walked out of the girls’ quarters and took a deep breath of the crisp ocean air. She bristled as she noticed a change in the atmosphere. Nami took a moment to evaluate the feeling. She sighed in relief when she realized that it was only a mild storm, but rain in weather this cold could be potentially life-threatening.

“Everyone,” she grabbed her crew’s attention, “there’s a storm coming in from the north. It won’t damage the ship but I still recommend finding somewhere indoors to stay until dinner.” Nami turned to face her mikan trees with worry etched into her face. She hoped they could get to the island soon so they could leave the harsh climate.

Luffy hopped off of his seat on the Sunny’s head and scrambled to the only place indoors that he knew to go: the galley. Robin retreated to the girls’ quarters and Nami soon followed her. Franky and Usopp went down to the workshop to finish something they had been working on earlier that day. Brook headed up into the crow’s nest to take watch. Having nothing else to do, Chopper trotted into the galley to join the chef and captain. Zoro was soon left alone on the deck.

The swordsman yawned and stood up from where he was groggily listening to his navigator. Zoro didn’t quite feel like going somewhere just to come to the galley a little later, however, he also wanted to train. To be the strongest swordsman, he would have to be able to resist the coldest of temperatures. Then again, Nami said to get inside. He had two optimal choices: the galley, _where he would get bitched at for going into before dinner by the cook_ , or training on deck, _where he would get bitched at by Nami for not obeying her_. He weighed his options and chose to lesser of two evils; the galley it was!

Zoro casually ambled into the galley where Luffy was attempting to play a game of checkers with Chopper on the dinner table. He noticed that Sanji didn't seem to care that those two were there. He just stood there at the stove, gently stirring something in a pot. The cook glanced over to see who _else_ walked into his kitchen before dinner was ready. He pulled an irritated face but went back to cooking. Zoro saw him gnaw at the end of his cigarette. He ignored the cook altogether and took a seat next to Chopper and observed their game of checkers.

“King me!” Luffy announced triumphantly, slamming his hands on the table. Chopper pouted slightly, but flipped Luffy’s chip over regardless.

Zoro raised an eyebrow, “Luffy, you can’t move your pieces all the way to the end. You have to move one space at a time.”

The captain made a confused whimper and stared at his first mate.

“He’s been making up rules the entire time,” Sanji muttered from beyond the counter as he set out his finished dishes upon it.

“What!? Why didn’t you say anything?” Chopper whined at the cook, who shook his head.

“You’ve been playing too many games with Usopp. His stupid rule-changing bullshit has rubbed off on you,” Zoro mentioned to his captain.

“I thought that’s how it was supposed to be played,” Luffy shrugged and began resetting the board.

“Why don’t you show us how it’s played?” Chopper looked up at the swordsman expectantly.

Zoro was about to decline the offer when he noticed the cook eyeing him. Did the curly cue think he didn’t know how to play checkers? Or did he think he couldn’t beat Luffy? Like hell if he was going to let Sanji win… even if he wasn’t playing. Zoro found it easier to get close to Sanji by arguing with him; their competitive natures make that easy. Zoro had gotten so used to trying to one-up the cook, the mindset had sunk in and wouldn't leave, not that Zoro cared. He enjoyed fighting with Sanji to some extent.

“Sure. Why not?” Zoro accepted the challenge.

It took a few tries, but Zoro managed to get Luffy to learn and follow the simple rules of checkers. And, unsurprisingly, Luffy lost each round. He used the same tactic over and over and Zoro quickly learned how to combat it. It wasn't hard.

By the time the captain finally lost interest in playing, it was time for dinner and the other Strawhats came filing in. Once everyone was seated, Sanji set the table with a flourish- as his ladies were present.

 _"When is he going to realize the girls aren’t impressed by his dumbass ballet?”_ Zoro folded his arms across his chest and grunted.

“I hope you enjoy this meal, Nami-san! It was simmered to perfection just for you!” The cook crooned as he set down a special-made plate for Nami. He received a “thanks” and dismissive hand-wave. He did the same with Robin, and received a warm smile and a more genuine “thank you.”

Zoro had always admired/hated Sanji for his persistence with the ladies. They only like him as a friend. They are not interested. Doesn't he get that? Zoro also felt that the girls, Nami especially, didn't deserve to be treated like that. Nami straight up uses him. He either doesn't notice or is ignoring it. Sanji's a smart guy, so it's probably the latter. He grumbled and kept his neutral expression as he stuffed his face with Sanji's fantastic cooking. 

\---

Soon enough, the Thousand Sunny arrived at the snow-covered shores of the winter island. By then the rain had stopped, leaving the deck a little slippery. Luffy continuously whined about wanting to get off the ship, but Nami reprimanded him, “Every time we let you off the boat you get us in deep trouble. I don’t want to stay here longer than we need to.” A violent shiver shook her entire body, emphasizing her point.

“Why can’t I go, Nami-san?” Brook questioned, “I won't cause trouble and I don't have skin to feel the cold, yo ho ho ho!”

Nami looked at him incredulously, “You just answered your own question.” Like hell if she was going to let a talking skeleton roam around in a rural area such as this.

Nami gave out an allowance-albeit small- to Chopper, Sanji, and Usopp to go buy medicinal herbs, food, and other supplies for the ship respectively.

 

Usopp was trying his best not to shiver. Brave men of the sea don't shiver. However, he was envious of Chopper's warm-looking fur. Chopper was loving every second of being there. The weather was reminding him of his home.

“This wasn’t the best place to stop and get food.” Usopp mentioned as they were passing through the market, "They aren't offering much."

“It's our only option,” Sanji replied tersely, lighting up a cigarette. "They probably struggle to find food for themselves," he blew out a puff of smoke, "I'll just ask them where they get their food from, maybe I can find enough for all of you that way."

The three of them went their separate ways to gather their necessities. Chopper and Usopp met up again on their way back.

"Should we wait for Sanji?" Chopper asked, looking up at the sniper.

"I don't think that's necessary. He can handle himself," Usopp spoke confidently. "Plus, he probably had to travel farther to get extra meat for Luffy or something," he shrugged.

Chopper smiled, "Right!"

 

When Chopper and Usopp returned to the ship without Sanji, a few eyebrows were raised, but no comments were made. Zoro was on watch in the crow's nest and saw his nakama climb aboard. He looked around and couldn't spot the cook anywhere. Sanji was hard to miss in his black trench-coat and pink beanie combo. Zoro rolled his eyes and grabbed onto one of his weights. _"That idiot is going to freeze his ass off chasing some girl,"_ he thought and began some rigorous training.

He tried to empty his mind and focus on building strength. Endurance. Discipline...

 _"Wonder where that asshole is now."_ Zoro slid his gaze over to a window. No, no. Sanji doesn't need Zoro to worry about him. He started doing one-armed push-ups to limit his view of the window.

 _"Did he get lost?"_ Zoro paused and leered into the white abyss outside. He shook his head. Now's not the time to think of that. Sanji will be back soon. Focus on training.

 

It was much later that night when the cook finally did return. He had a ridiculously large bag of food hoisted over his shoulder. Zoro watched him from the crow's nest. Sanji set up his supplies in the kitchen and silently headed off to the the men's quarters. Zoro felt inwardly relieved that Sanji was on the ship. He was glad he didn't have to go out on the island and find the dumbass. Sanji would totally get them lost.

\---

Zoro awoke the next morning to the smell of sickly sweet pancakes. Wait, he was way too far from the kitchen to smell something so strong. He cracked his eyes open and looked around. Lo and behold, there was a plate of fresh steaming pancakes topped with whipped cream, some kind of berries, and syrup, next to him. _“Why didn’t he just kick me in the head and tell me to get down to the galley like he always does?”_ Zoro mused as he picked up the plate. He almost didn't see Usopp sitting across from him. Why was he there? Oh. Right. Zoro's watch shift ended a while ago. "Oi," Zoro greeted the sniper.

"Oh, morning, Zoro!" Usopp flashed him a cheerful smile.

Zoro raised an eyebrow, "Did you bring me this?" He lifted the plate.

"Uh, no," Usopp shook his head, "Sanji did."

Zoro momentarily looked disturbed, "Why'd he do that?"

"Deliver it to you?" Usopp cocked his head to the side, "I don't have a clue. He came up here and dropped it off." He chuckled, "Sanji looked like he was going to kick you for missing breakfast."

" _But he didn't..."_ Zoro merely shrugged and ate his breakfast anyway. Food was food, even if it was disgustingly sweet.

 

Once he was done, the swordsman took his plate down to the galley so he wouldn’t have a foot up his ass for misplacing it. He was more than a little startled by the intensely cold wind when he first dropped out of the crow's nest. He trudged into the galley and hoped to place the empty dish in the sink without problem, but the shitty cook was washing dishes. Great. Well, Zoro walked all the way down there, might as well drop off the plate and hope Sanji wouldn’t give him shit. Zoro approached the cook and slid the plate awkwardly into the pile of unclean dishes and began slinking away.

“Hold on there, Marimo.” Dammit. Zoro turned around and started rolling up his sleeves. He knew it was his turn on dish duty anyway. Wait, why was Sanji doing the dishes when it wasn’t his turn?

Sanji smirked and stepped aside, making room for the swordsman, “I appreciate it.”

There wasn’t anything in the way of conversation between the two and nothing interesting happened- not until their hands touched in the middle of the dish washing. Zoro accidentally clamped his hand onto the cook’s as he was being passed a plate to dry. He froze as he tried to think of something to say. Zoro quickly realized that he was _still_ holding Sanji's hand and retracted his own to his chest. He waited for any type of hate-filled spiel from the cook...

“So, it turns out that Chopper couldn’t get his hands- eh, hooves?- on the medical shit he needed because the old hag at the medicine shop didn’t trust a talking deer," Sanji chewed on his unlit cigarette.

That... was not what Zoro expected.

"Apparently she thought it was a prank,” Sanji continued. Zoro snorted, smirking, and imagined Chopper’s vexation at being declined because of his appearance.

“Nami-san says that you and I need to go back and get what he needed,” Sanji gave the swordsman a wayward glance.

The swordsman’s smile faded instantly. “Why do _I_ have to go?” Zoro muttered. He didn’t fancy following orders from that witch.

“Because Nami-san said so. I think she was concerned about me being out too late,” Sanji batted his eyelashes dreamily.

“Why were you so late anyway?” Zoro attempted to change the subject away from women (hopefully).

“I asked around to figure out where to get fresher food for you assholes and I was directed into the woods. The only meat I could find were freakishly over-sized bears, some small birds not worth killing, and a few deer," Sanji resumed cleaning dishes and handing them to Zoro for drying. "I also found a few edible roots and some fruit growing on the far east of the woods. They _looked_ like apples and I saw some of the animals eating them, so I figured they were okay to eat. But _holy shit_ they were disgusting. There’s no way I’m feeding them to my lovely ladies... or the rest of the crew.”

Zoro hummed and rolled his eyes as he idly listened. There was still a lingering burning sensation in his stomach from that accidental hand-holding. He was glad his skin was just dark enough to hide his light blush.

\---

Chopper filled the two in on what exactly he was in need of and sent them on their way. Sanji led the two, as he knew where he was going, and if Zoro were to take the lead they’d end up in the ocean for all he knew. It had begun to snow almost immediately after they left the ship. Nami said that there wasn’t any threat of snowstorms any time soon, but with weather in the Grand Line it wasn’t assured.

Zoro kept an eye on Sanji's back so the moron wouldn't get lost. If he stopped to look at something for a few seconds, he knew Sanji would disappear. That meant Zoro had nothing to look at but the man in front of him. And because he was looking at him, he couldn't help but think about him. Black really is Sanji's color. No wonder he wore it so much. It really added emphasis to his curves. Zoro sort of wished Sanji wasn't so blatantly straight, then he could at least hope for a chance with him. However, a pink beanie- in Zoro’s mind- was the farthest thing from straight. Zoro was distracted by the swaying of the trench-coat caused by the cook's hips. Great. Now he was looking at Sanji’s butt. Zoro couldn't see it as well as he usually could. Black pants did amazing things to that body of his. He nearly ran into the cook when Sanji suddenly stopped at the medicine shop.

Zoro followed Sanji inside the little hut and looked around while the blond found what Chopper was looking for. The shop owner allowed Sanji to purchase the goods and waved them farewell. If Zoro knew any better, he would have thought that she looked concerned. It must’ve just been her old face. Old ladies always look concerned, right?

“Oi, Marimo, hold these,” Sanji shoved the bags into Zoro’s chest before he could offer a rebuttal.

“Are your hands too fragile to carry these?” Zoro grumbled. He didn’t mind toting the groceries around, but he didn’t see why Sanji couldn’t do it.

“You’re wearing gloves, I’m not. I can’t let my fingers freeze off, now can I?” Sanji replied, shoving his hands into his pockets.

“So that’s a yes.” The swordsman dodged a kick aimed at the back of his head with a shit-eating grin on his face, “That was way too slow, shitty cook. Snow slowing you down?”

“Shove it, shitbasket. I didn’t feel like having you drop the medicine in the snow because I knocked you out,” Sanji scoffed. “Now stay behind me, you’re gonna get us lost.”

Once the duo arrived on deck, Chopper made sure that the herbs were the correct ones. After all that was said and done, Nami called the crew into meeting after lunch.

“According to Usopp, it’s going to take the log pose three whole days to lock onto the next island,” Nami announced, looking back at the sharpshooter for affirmation.

“Yep. The man in the hardware store told me so,” Usopp nodded.

“So stay warm and relax for the next few days,” Nami concluded.

“Does that mean I can go adventure around on the island now?” Luffy started bouncing around happily, regardless of the navigator denying him repeatedly.

“Face it Nami, you’re not going to keep him aboard for three entire days. Just let someone go with him,” Usopp reasoned.

“Are you volunteering?” Nami sneered.

Usopp immediately backed off, not wanting to be caught with Luffy when he inevitably caused trouble.

“I’ll go with Luffy-san!” Brook chirped, “But first, Miss-navigator-san, may I see your panties?” Nami answered him with a swift punch to the skull.

Sanji stepped over Brook’s unconscious, twitching body to confront the navigator. “I’ll go with the captain, my dearest Nami-swan! Anything to keep you happy.” Nami smiled and nodded.

Moments later, Luffy wrapped a rubber arm around the chef and dragged him outside, overboard and off into the land of frostbitten adventure. Zoro rolled his eyes. It’s not like babysitting the captain was _that_ bad. Sure, he was a bit of a handful, but nothing too hellish.

 ---

Sometime, during what Zoro assumed was around evening, the swordsman meandered out onto the snow-coated deck. He had already trained and napped to his satisfaction. He stared up at the gloomy gray sky, shedding snow on everything, and realized something. He was bored out of his mind. No one else was doing anything interesting. Luffy wasn’t there to bother him and Sanji wasn’t there to spar with. Robin still creeped him out a little. Whatever Franky was working on didn't interest the swordsman. He didn't want to venture into the girls' room to talk to Nami. Chopper was busy working on new medicines. Brook was on watch but Zoro didn't want to bother him. That left Zoro with Usopp. Maybe Usopp knew a little more about Sanji than he did. Usopp seemed to be closer to Sanji than himself. What's the harm in asking one crewmate about another?

Zoro found Usopp in the men's quarters fast asleep in his bunk. His arm hung over the side with his sketchbook in his hand. Against his better judgement, Zoro decided to take a look through it. He gently extracted the journal from Usopp's limp hand and started flipping through it. _"He's not half bad,"_ Zoro mused as he looked at the sketched flora and fauna on the pages. Usopp wasn't half bad at drawing people either. Zoro clearly recognized one of the sketches as Sanji.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy shit you made it through. The problem with year-old poorly-written stuff is that I never know where to split it up into chapters.  
> Feel free to comment with something you'd like to see in later chapters, I'd love your input.


	2. He's Fine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oop, my SanUso is showing.

It took a moment for Zoro to fully comprehend what he was looking at. It was a damn good sketch of Sanji seemingly glaring at something off the page. The swordsman slowly turned the page. The next drawing was a ridiculous doodle of Sanji fawning over Sogeking. Zoro fought the urge to punch the sniper awake and turned to the next page. Zoro wasn't sure how to feel about the sketch of himself sparring with the cook. He didn't get to look any more because Usopp quickly yanked the journal out of his hands.

"Don't you know not to go sticking your nose in other people's things!?" Usopp held the book to his chest with one arm and pointed accusingly at Zoro with his free hand.

Admittedly, Zoro really shouldn't have been snooping through the book without permission. If he was Nami, he would use this information as blackmail. But he wasn't Nami. He was a decent human being... But that didn't mean he wouldn't have a little fun.

"You're, uh, pretty good at drawing that dartbrow," Zoro smirked. "Was that from memory, or were you staring at your model?"

Usopp's cheeks turned red, "I don't- I wasn't- I mean- please don't tell him!" He slipped the book under his pillow and gazed up at the swordsman with pleading eyes.

"Why not?" Zoro knew damn well why not. He took a seat on the bunk across from Usopp to intimidate him less.

Usopp fiddled with his fingers as he spoke, "You know him! He only likes girls and if you haven't noticed I am not a girl."

"Fair enough," Zoro nodded.

"And if he knew that I felt this way about him, he probably wouldn't want to be on the same ship as me. He'd hate me." Usopp ran his hands through his hair to calm himself.

Zoro knew exactly how the sharpshooter felt. They were quite literally in the same boat. "I'll pretend this never happened," Zoro stood up.

"What? Really?" Usopp sat upright.

"This isn't a big deal," Zoro shrugged and ambled out of the men's quarters.

\---

Luffy had dragged Sanji practically everywhere accessible on the island. He could've kept going, but he was hungry so he decided to go back to the ship with his cook.

“Sanji, come on! We need to get to the ship so you can make dinner. I’m so hungry I think I’m dying!” Luffy jogged in place as he waited for the cook to catch up. Sanji was fine for most of their adventuring up until the sun began to set.

Sanji’s muttered something about being tired before calling out to his captain, “Oi, calm down, you little ball of energy.”

“Sanji, you’re breathing kinda heavy. This is a flat road; you shouldn’t be tired.” Luffy poked at Sanji’s chest once he had caught up.

The cook slapped the hand away, “I’ve just been climbing mountains with you and keeping you from causing an avalanche. You remember the last time we got caught up in one of those?” he hissed.

“I get it,” Luffy chuckled and carried on his merry way.

 _“Luffy was right in front of me, how the hell’d he get all the way over there?”_ Sanji suddenly realized. He was walking, yes, just not as quickly as he thought he was. _“Why is everything getting so dark so quickly? The sun doesn't usually set this fast.”_

Luffy noticed the lack of a second pair of footsteps crunching in the snow and halted himself. He spun on his heel to see what the holdup was. He was hungry goddamnit. “Sanji!” he ran over to his cook's still body. “Now is not the time for a nap, you have to go back to the Sunny and cook for us. Oi, Sanji.” Luffy prodded the blonde’s head. When Sanji didn’t respond, Luffy dropped to his knees next to the body, leaned in real close, and, “SANJI! I NEED FOOD!”

The cook stirred and shakily lifted himself with his elbows. His breathing was shallow and raspy. Luffy was expecting a kick in the stomach for waking him up from his "nap." When Sanji didn’t threaten him, or move at all, the captain became concerned. He placed one hand on the cook’s back and the other on his arm. “O-oi, Sanji, are you-”

“I’m fine. I’m fi- I’m fine. Fine.” Sanji stood and teetered a bit before stabilizing himself. “I guess I’m more tired than I thought. Let’s get back to the ship so I can start dinner.” He said as he brushed the snow off of himself. The chef’s entire body was shaking as he made his way back to the Sunny.

Luffy looked back at his nakama more concerned than ever now, “Sanji…”

The duo made it back to the ship without Sanji falling over, which made Luffy feel slightly better, but he still somehow felt as though the condition Sanji was in was his fault. Sanji made a B-line for the galley and locked the door behind him. Luffy’s eyes lingered on the door for a bit, concern evident on his face. Usopp jogged over from his spot on the deck to greet his captain. He noticed Luffy's expression.

“Did you piss him off or something? You shouldn’t feel bad about that, he gets mad at everyone.” The sniper patted Luffy’s shoulder.

“I think I tired him out or something. But he’s fine since he’s making food, right?” The gluttonous rubberman grinned despite his growing worry.

“It’s hard to read that guy sometimes. He probably needs some sleep; then he’ll be fine. Ya know, like Zoro.” Usopp assured him.

"What about me?” Zoro approached the two.

“I was comparing your ridiculous healing method to whatever Sanji’s may be.” Usopp rubbed his arm nervously at the look the swordsman was giving him.

“What’s wrong with the shitty cook?” Zoro masked his concern with a scowl.

“He’s tired.” Luffy answered for him and wandered off somewhere on the ship to wait for dinner. Zoro and Usopp exchanged looks after their captain left. Luffy sounded serious.

 

Dinner went by smoothly. Only, a few suspicions were raised due to the ladies not being fawned over and Luffy not stealing from everyone’s plates. (Well, mostly everyone.)

After dinner, when Sanji was alone washing dishes, Robin came to question him.

“Cook-san? I hope I’m not bothering you.” She said, shutting the galley door behind her.

“Never would you be a bother to me, Robin-chan.” Sanji smiled at her with a cigarette clamped between his teeth.

“That being said, why don’t you explain what happened at dinner.” The eloquent woman seated herself at the table and waited.

Sanji was a smart man, so he knew there was no way around this. He dried his hands off and sat in the seat opposite Robin.

Throughout the entire conversation Sanji couldn't help but feel as though Robin knew something he didn't. She kept smirking and glancing back to the door leading to the deck.

 

“Well!? What’s his deal?” Nami and a few other Strawhats flocked to the archaeologist once she left the galley.

“He tried to convince me that he was simply tired. He surely looked the part.” Robin put a finger to her chin in contemplation.

“You don’t suppose he caught a cold, do you?” Chopper squeaked, always concerned for everyone’s health.

“He might have, but you know he’d never admit that, Doctor-san. He most likely doesn’t wish for us to worry about him.” Robin sighed, “With a man as stubborn as Cook-san, we’d need someone more stubborn to convince him to get help.”

All heads immediately turned to face the swordsman who was cleaning his katanas further on the deck.

“We should wait until Cook-san has had a good night’s sleep. If he is still feeling ill tomorrow, we shall have to get Bushido-san to convince him into getting treated.” Robin concluded.

 

Usopp still had a few reservations about this plan of Robin's and he decided to complain about it to Nami.

“But why not get you or Robin to do it? He’ll listen to you.” Usopp questioned. He was mostly confused about getting Zoro to convince Sanji to admit that he’s sick.

“He’ll try to act tough in front of us. You remember what Robin said.” Nami explained. She sighed and looked around the Sunny’s aquarium. The water was sending dancing streams of blue light around the room.

“But he’s going to act tough in front of Zoro too, you know. To be honest, Zoro’s the last person Sanji’s going to admit defeat to. You sure Robin’s right on this one?” Usopp fiddled with his slingshot nervously.

“Zoro’s just about the only one who can manage to get that idiot to get help because he’s the only one more hard-headed than him.” Nami pinched the bridge of her nose. “I have a headache; I’m going to bed. Goodnight Usopp.”

With that, the navigator stood and headed to her room. That left Usopp to sit alone in his worries.

 

Sanji finished washing the dishes and put his coat on. He shivered occasionally, but he blamed the weather. _“It’s ridiculous how I have to put a jacket on just to go to bed.”_ Sanji thought and braced himself for the soul-sucking coldness that lied outside. He was not expecting a flurry of snow in his face as soon as he opened the door, but that’s what he got. An onslaught of more shivers wracked his entire body right after he locked the galley door behind him, which was hard due to his hand shaking like a leaf in a storm. _“Just gotta make it to bed, then I’ll be fine.”_ He huffed and shuffled downstairs to the men’s quarters.

Chopper was sleeping soundly in his bunk with a single blanket. Usopp and Luffy had taken a fair amount of the blankets to cover up with in their respective bunks. Brook was on watch and Franky fell asleep in the engine room. Sanji looked around once more to make sure there wasn’t anyone awake to witness his stupid shivering. To his relief, Zoro was snoring away in his own bunk. Sanji sighed and practically melted into his bed. He shamefully wrapped as many blankets around himself as he could before finally falling asleep.

\---

Zoro slowly woke up to the sound of voices not-quite-whispering.

“O-oi, Luffy, don’t poke him like that, Chopper told you to let him sleep, remember?” That was Usopp’s voice.

“But I’m hungry and he didn’t wake up to make us breakfast or lunch! I’m sick of Nami’s cooking!” That's Luffy.

“I know, she makes us pay for her services and it’s bullshit, but you might not get any food at all if you wake him up so rudely. If he wakes up,” Usopp again.

Zoro was barely awake when he started making sense of the talking. The sniper was clearly panicked about the situation.

“Should we tell Chopper? I mean, I think there’s something wrong with his breathing? Or do you think he really was as tired as he insisted yesterday. Or maybe I’m paranoid,” Usopp chuckled nervously.

Zoro was looming over their shoulders in an instant, “Something wrong with the idiot love-cook?”

“Hey Zoro.” Luffy greeted his swordsman with a grin before turning back to the cook with a contemplative look on his face. 

“I think he might be sick.” Usopp rubbed his arm nervously.

“Might be?” Zoro scoffed. It was pretty obvious Sanji was sick.

“Well, Chopper told us that he looked way too tired to be standing yesterday, so we should let him sleep. That’s what everyone else is doing. Nami and Robin are washing dishes from lunch, which you missed too, by the way.” Zoro ignored the tone of the sharpshooter’s voice and focused on Sanji. 

Sanji looked rather peaceful aside from the abnormal redness in his cheeks and the sweat beading on his face.

“Idiot stole all the goddamn blankets and probably gave himself a fever,” Zoro mumbled. He took a few of the sheets from the cook’s bed and tossed them elsewhere.

“I didn’t think I wore him out that badly.” Luffy sighed, looking a bit droopy.

Zoro focused his attention on the captain, “What exactly did you two do yesterday?”

While Luffy listed off all of the "super fun" adventures they went on, Usopp inched up to the cook and leaned closer to his chest. He took notice of the slowed heart rate. But that lowered normally when people sleep, right? At least it was still beating! Usopp glanced at Zoro while he was checking Sanji's vitals. Zoro was staring at him. _"Way to make a guy even more nervous, asshole,"_ Usopp heaved a shaky breath and pressed his head back down to listen to Sanji's lungs. He was relieved to hear the cook inhaling and exhaling with shallow breaths.

"Well, he's _alive_ at least," Usopp chuckled, his eyes flicking from Sanji's face to Zoro's, to Luffy's and back.

"Let me check," Luffy pressed his ear against his cook's chest. He hummed and stood upright, "He's alive, but not awake. He didn't get hurt yesterday, so he should be fine!"

Usopp shook his head and sighed, "I'm going to get Chopper anyway."

"Wait. Hold on. His eye is open," Luffy pointed out.

Zoro and Usopp immediately trained their focus on the chef's only visible cerulean eye.

Sanji stared at them listlessly, "The hell are you looking at?"

"See; totally fine!" Luffy put his hands on his hips with a grin. Luffy realized that he spoke too soon as Sanji rolled over and coughed violently into the blankets.

Sanji pulled his face away from the sheets and stared at the unmistakable spatters of fresh blood. "Oh. Well, shit," he huffed.

Usopp ran out of the room screaming for Chopper.

"Good way to freak everyone out, moron!" Zoro called after him.

"Hey, Sanji, are you okay?" Luffy leaned forward.

Sanji sat up and spoke between coughs, "Yeah, I'm fine." He nonchalantly wiped his blood-flecked hand on a blanket. "It's nothing I can't deal with."

It was when Sanji tried to get up that Zoro finally did something. He shoved Sanji back onto his bunk, "That's for Chopper to decide."

"Piss off, shitty Marimo!" Sanji shoved the swordsman's hand away.

Zoro didn't get to insult him back because he was bowled over by the ship's doctor.

When Sanji saw the reindeer, he accepted his fate. He couldn't escape all four of them. He swallowed his pride and remained in bed.

Chopper shooed everyone else out of the room so he could work in peace.

The rest of the concerned crew members were standing around just outside the door. Usopp filled them in on the situation. And now... they wait.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's pretty much the end of what I did last year. Yay.   
> The rating will change as the chapters go on because what's a good story without smut? A good story without smut, that's what.


	3. What's Wrong?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one's a bit short. I promise longer chapters in the future!

By the time the tiny doctor finally exited the men's quarters, the rest of the crew had gathered in the crow's nest to escape the cold and keep an eye out. Luffy spotted the reindeer's pink hat moving across the deck. He scrambled down the ladder and caught up with Chopper.

"Oi, Chopper!" He stopped Chopper from entering his medical room. "Have ya figured out what's wrong with Sanji?"

Chopper turned to face his captain, “Something has rooted itself in Sanji’s lungs and is causing light internal bleeding.” He continued to prattle on about the possible culprit for a little bit before staring at Luffy with a glint of determination in his eyes, “I’m going to find out exactly what it is so I can extract it as painlessly as possible!”

Luffy grinned and patted Chopper on his furry back, “That’s my doctor!”

Chopper blushed and wriggled around, “S-shut up, you idiot!” He quickly shook off the flattered expression and looked serious again, “I have to work on something to treat him with.” Chopper looked around the deck, “Can you spread the word?” Luffy nodded and jogged towards the ladder.

“Oh, Luffy!” Chopper called, “Could you please get someone to make sure he doesn’t try to cook? O-or smoke?”

“Roger!” Luffy replied and stretched his arms up to the crow’s nest and pulled himself in.

Luffy scared half the crew shitless explaining Sanji’s condition by saying, “He’s bleeding in here,” and pointing to his chest. “Something’s in his lunch—uh— lungs,” he clarified. There was a collective sigh of relief.

“Thank god, I though his heart exploded or something,” Usopp wiped the cold sweat off his face.

“Having bleeding lungs isn’t much better,” Nami pursed her lips in thought. She focused on her captain, “What else did Chopper say?”

Luffy counted on his fingers the things he remembered Chopper saying, “He’s not allowed to cook, not allowed to smoke, and someone’s gotta make sure he doesn’t do that.”

“Chopper went to go make medicine and the rest of us are in here, bro,” Franky pointed out.

“No one’s currently watching him,” Robin said with a mischievous smirk playing at her lips. “Why don’t we let Swordsman-san watch him?”

Zoro bristled upon hearing that, “Why me?”

“Y-yeah, why Zoro?” Usopp protested as well. He had to back up that statement after receiving questioning stares, “They fight all the time! Sanji doesn’t need to be fighting in his condition.”

“Something tells me Sanji will be able to scare you off so he can go cook,” Nami raised an eyebrow. “And I really don’t think you can deal with him once he starts going through withdrawal.”

Usopp looked dejectedly at his boots in defeat, “I suppose you’re right.”

Zoro really didn’t want to be forced to look after someone who openly disliked him, but it was a pretty good excuse to have non-violent contact with Sanji. “I’ll do it if it’ll make you guys shut up,” he grunted, ignoring the eerie smile of the archaeologist. Zoro nudged Usopp on his way out and motioned for the sharpshooter to follow him. Usopp tripped in his excitement and dashed to catch up with Zoro on the deck.

 

Obviously, Sanji wasn’t going to let a little cough stop him from tending to his duties as a chef. He had just changed into clean clothes when Zoro and Usopp barged into the room.

“Oi, love-cook, didn’t Chopper tell you not to get up?” Zoro folded his arms across his chest and blocked the door.

A look of displeasure spread across Sanji’s face, “Outta the way, marimo. It’s time for the ladies’ mid-afternoon snack.”

Usopp noticed how Sanji was poised. Sanji was readying himself to kick Zoro out of the way. “H-hey, Sanji you really should lie down,” Usopp took a few steps between his crewmates. A shiver went up his spine when Sanji’s cold glare slid over to him. Usopp began to sweat, “We’re here to, um, take care of you— at Robin’s suggestion!”

Sanji appeared to consider this thought when Robin was mentioned. However, he opened his mouth as if he was going to object but grit his teeth as he began visibly shivering.

Usopp rushed to his side to stabilize him and received a shove to the sternum.

“Fuck off, I’m fine!” Sanji hissed through his clenched jaw. There was no way in hell he was going to let his nakama see him as a sick, weak person—especially not Zoro.

“There’s absolutely no reason for you to be shivering like that in here. It’s not even cold!” Zoro argued. He aided the sniper in shoving Sanji back into bed.

“N-now we’re going to watch you and make sure you don’t do anything stupid,” Usopp struck an authoritative pose.

“That’s impossible; everything the cook does is stupid,” Zoro muttered.

Sanji coughed violently and glared at the two as a rebuttal. He was angrier at himself than he was at his crewmates. How could he let his guard down and allow something to get inside him? He closed his eyes for a moment and sighed, cursing himself. He idly reached over to his jacket and dug around in the pocket until he pulled out his cigarettes.

Zoro snagged the box and tucked it into his haramaki, “I don’t think so, curly-brow.”

Usopp had to hold Sanji back as he attempted to kick the shit out of Zoro.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing, shitty swordsman!? Sanji wheezed. Thing in his lungs or not, he was still going to kick that smug bastard’s ass for taking his smokes.

“I could ask you the same question. Your lungs are bleeding and you still want to smoke?” Zoro chastised him.

“He’s right. No smoking, doctor’s orders,” Usopp released Sanji when he stopped struggling.

Sanji huffed angrily in defeat and swaddled himself in his remaining blankets. Sanji knew he looked silly but something inside of him was urging him to warm up again.

For the rest of the time the three were alone together, Sanji refused to lie down or talk to either of them. He didn’t look at them either, save for a few pouty glares once in a while.

Usopp was about to goad Sanji into sleeping to preserve energy when Chopper appeared at the door. He was hiding the wrong way. Chopper jolted, having realized the situation was safe, and quickly dashed over to his ailing nakama.

Sanji reluctantly took Chopper’s medicine, but thanked him anyway. Chopper blushed and wiggled back out of the men’s quarters, mumbling something like, “don’t thank me, you bastard.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah. I'm getting more into my element.  
> My element is "gay."


End file.
